Change the way ESA hires and contracts.

Petition addressed to: Delegates to the ESA member state

ESA has been operating under the geo-return policy when it comes to contracting and hiring. This leads inevitably to a suboptimal performance: by geo-restricting the pool from which to choose, the best candidates for any given job or task might be cast aside even before evaluating their competences. In today's world and geopolitics, we cannot allow for suboptimal any more. We should choose the best that Europe has to offer. Hence, the way of contracting and hiring needs to change. Only the ESA member states can push that change. A serious constructive discussion about this topic is needed.

If you agree, then sign this petition and contact the ESA delegation of your state to let them know!

See the opinion piece at https://blog.planetary-research.org/2026/09/23/esa-the-european-suboptimal-agency/